Welcome, to a Nightmare of Formulas
by leader of lights
Summary: Meeting N was nothing like Touya expected. He also didn't expect that Cheren would glue his hand to his glasses.


"Liberate Pokémon? That's a crazy idea!" murmured an old man in the crowd.

"That _was_ a crazy speech," agreed one woman.

Another man shook his head. "Those tin-cans don't know what they're talking about. Pokémon are our friends!"

A chorus of 'yeah!'s rose from the crowd, and suddenly they all went their separate ways. From his edge of the crowd, Touya watched them curiously, wondering why they were all in such a hurry. Accumula Town was a small, calm place. Just about everything was covered with a layer of concrete. Running didn't seem like a good idea.

"It's hard to believe Nuvema Town is just a route away from here," his friend Cheren mused, adjusting his glasses. He was a hipster. He claimed not to be one, but his weird style didn't agree with him. His haircut was something else.

"Yeah. Nuvema's nothing compared to this." Instead of sidewalks, there were dirt paths in their hometown. The population was around 10. "Is this what the big city is like?"

Cheren pushed up his glasses and glanced around at the tall brick buildings. "If my calculations are correct, yes. It is."

Touya frowned. "Stop that."

"Stop what?"

"Adjusting your glasses," Touya replied, pointing between his friend's blue eyes.

"I can't," Cheren said, adjusting his glasses; "My hand is glued to them." He tried to pull his hand away from the red frame. It didn't work.

Touya opened his mouth to protest, but closed it instantly - someone was walking toward them. One of the other crowd members hadn't run off, and he looked eager to speak to the two new trainers. His hair was mint green, and longer than Touya thought any guy's hair could be. From the looks of his clothes and nerdy accessories, he really was a guy, but he also had a pretty face half-hidden by his hat's shadow. Very attractive shadow.

"Your hat..." the green-haired trainer began, stopping in front of Touya.

Confused, Touya repeated, "My hat?" He had begged his mother to buy it when he was 10 because it looked like a Pokéball from the top. It was good at keeping his unruly brown hair under control.

"Your hat..." he said again, reaching out to touch the black bill. "...It speaks to me... so many beautiful formulas..."

"It... what?" Touya blushed and stepped back, away from the stranger grabbing at his hat. The 'Stranger Danger' alarms his mother planted in his head were going off.

The green-haired trainer wasn't fazed. He spoke like rapid-fire. "And your Pokémon... they speak to me, too."

Cheren looked at him oddly and adjusted his glasses. "Boy, you talk fast, don't you?"

"My Pokémon speak to you?" Touya set his hand on his first Pokéball protectively. "That's a weird thing to say."

"You can't hear them, then? What a pity." The trainer shook his head.

Touya glanced at Cheren. Cheren glanced back, raising an eyebrow. "Who are you?" Touya asked the trainer. He was a lot taller than him, so Touya had to look up to meet his eyes. The were the color of the sky just before a storm. Somehow, they were pretty and frightening at the same time.

The green-haired trainer smiled. "My name is N."

"Well, I'm Cheren, and this is Touya." With his free hand, Cheren gestured at his friend. With the other, he pushed up his glasses. "We're on a journey to complete the Pokédex, but my primary objective is to become the champion." He puffed out his hipster chest proudly. Since starting out, he already had a super powerful Oshawott and Purrloin. He was well on his way to his goal.

N's smile faded. "The Pokédex? That means you'll be imprisoning countless Pokémon in Pokéballs, won't you?"

Cheren shrugged. "Well, that's sort of the idea." He also adjusted his glasses.

Now frowning, N turned to Touya. "Does he always do that?" he asked, as if Cheren wasn't standing right next to him.

"Adjust his glasses?" Touya swallowed self-consciously. How old was this guy? 18? 20? "Uh, yeah, he says his hand is glued there..."

"Anyway," N continued, cutting off Cheren's annoyed response, "I'm a trainer, too. But I always wonder, 'Am I making my Pokémon happy?'" He plucked the single Pokéball from his belt and looked it over thoughtfully. "I also play with blocks."

Touya blinked. "Wait, what?"

"And toy trains."

"_Nutcase_," Cheren coughed, pushing up his glasses.

N ignored the comment. "Touya, was it? Let me hear more of your Pokémon's voices!" Dramatically, he leapt back on the concrete and struck a battle-ready pose.

Cheren cupped his hand over his mouth. "You are challenged by Pokémon Trainer N!" he announced, backing out of the battle area. As soon as N called out his Pokémon, he added, "Pokémon Trainer N sent out Purrloin!" The purple cat growled cutely at him when he adjusted his glasses. His attack stat fell.

"Why are you announcing this?" Touya demanded. "And why does your battle music sound so foreshadowy and evil?" he directed at N. He was on edge from being challenged so suddenly. He fumbled for his own Pokéball, the first he ever received. Awkwardly, he released his new partner: Tepig, the fire pig.

"You sent out Tepig! What will Tepig do?"

"Shut up!" both Touya and N shouted back at Cheren.

"Purrloin, use tackle!" N instructed his Pokémon, pointing at the target. The Purrloin charged at Tepig and crashed into it. Tepig staggered back, dazed.

"Tepig, use tackle!" Touya responded to the attack. Tepig followed the command. It leapt at the Purrloin with a determined oink. This time, the Purrloin was dazed.

N threw back his head and laughed. "More! Let me hear more from your Pokémon!" His excitement showed in the wide grin on his face. It made Touya's heart skip a beat. "Purrloin, use tackle!"

"Tepig, use tackle!"

"Purrloin, use tackle!"

"Tepig, use tackle!"

"Purrloin, use tackle!"

The "battle" went on for five minutes, until Touya finally thought to use ember instead. The Purrloin fainted. N called it back to its Pokéball, muttering, "There are Pokémon who would say such things...?"

"You have defeated Pokémon Trainer N!" Cheren announced, adjusting his glasses.

Touya returned Tepig to its Pokéball, and slipped the Pokéball back on his belt. He then advanced on Cheren, fist raised. "If you don't knock it off, I swear-"

"Imprisoned in Pokéballs..." N interrupted, staring at Purrloin's Pokéball. "For the sake of my friends, the Pokémon, I must change the world." He tossed some prize money to Touya for beating him, then turned and walked away to Route 2.

"That was abrupt." Cheren pushed up his glasses. "...What a weirdo."

Touya closed his fist around the money and lifted his eyes to N's figure. He grew smaller the farther away he went. For some reason, Touya wanted to chase after that cloud of mint-green hair. Instead, he just watched him disappear, saying, "...Yeah. He is."

_And I can't wait to see him again._

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This was written for dA's N/Touya fanclub 'Welcome to the World, Pokemon B/W!' art contest. Therefore, it's also on my dA.

N is basically the romantic hero of Pokémon now, thanks to all the fangirls ignoring how awkward and creepy he can be. So, I thought it'd be fun to point out how strange he is, while Touya ignores all of it and crushes on him anyway.

Also, for some reason, people find the rivals annoying. I can't imagine why.

Don't get me wrong; I love all three of these guys and the N/Touya pairing. Touya/Cheren, too.

There're only spoilers if you already know what you're looking for.


End file.
